Hakata Mentai Yamaya Kitchen: New mentaiko specialist restaurant with free-flow mentaiko until end-Dec

Mentaiko dishes have our whole hearts — they always land at the top of our order list whenever we’re at Japanese restaurants. 

If you, too, are a mentaiko enthusiast, Hakata Mentai Yamaya Kitchen at IMM is a new Japanese restaurant that specialises in delicious, pollock roe-laden dishes. 

At the centre of its fare is Hakata-style mentaiko supplied by Yamaya Communications, a leading mentaiko producer in Japan.

A mentaiko specialist

Yamaya Communications is also behind various popular F&B concepts in Japan, such as Hakata Motsunabe Yamaya, Hakata Tempura Yamaya and Yamaya Kitchen.

While the famed mentaiko restaurant chain is known as Yamaya Kitchen in Japan (as well as Thailand and Taiwan), its Singapore outpost is instead named Hakata Mentai Yamaya Kitchen.

It’s franchised by local F&B company Japan Foods Holdings, which is behind multiple Japanese concepts. Think Ajisen Ramen, Osaka Ohsho, and the new bear-themed hotpot at Somerset, Kumachan Onsen.

Free-flow mentaiko for a limited time

The mentaiko at Hakata is the brand’s claim to fame, where its pollock roe is specially salted and marinated in a special sauce of chilli peppers and spices to give it its signature spicy, salty flavour. 

You can now savour its prized mentaiko at its Singapore outpost at IMM, which you’ll find served on the side as an additional topping, or incorporated into classic Japanese rice sets and udon dishes. 

To mark Hakata Mentai Yamaya Kitchen’s opening in Singapore, the restaurant has rolled out a limited-time opening promotion until the end of December: Free-flow mentaiko, takana (spicy pickled mustard greens), rice and miso soup when you purchase a main dish. 

After which, you’ll have to top-up S$3.90 for an extra helping of mentaiko or takana.

Hakata Mentai Yamaya Kitchen’s menu

Rice sets are the highlight of Hakata Mentai Yamaya Kitchen’s menu. These are best paired with its signature mentaiko for a pop of sweet-salty flavour. Each comes with a choice of protein, chicken karaage, tamago (Japanese rolled omelette), soup, rice — and of course — mentaiko and takana. 

We gravitated towards the chicken cutlet rice set (S$15.90): A crispy, fried chicken cutlet paired with two chubby chunks of chicken kaarage. Both proteins were well-battered, not too greasy, and had a balanced meat-to-fat ratio. 

The set also came with a creamy mentai mayo dip that we generously dunked the chicken into. Bursting with a sweet — albeit zesty — tang, the mentai mayo dressing complemented the savoury protein.

The loaded mentai cream-baked cheese udon (S$12.90) is the restaurant’s riff on the usual baked rice or pasta. 

In this case, silky udon noodles make up the foundation of this dish. They’re then adorned with mushrooms and baked with a generous heaping of cheese. A dollop of velvety mentaiko sits on its baked crust, which you’re supposed to mix in with the noodles. 

A little goes a long way with the mentaiko —  a small serving is more than sufficient to imbue the noodles with an umami-rich oomph.

For a dish that’s comforting to the soul, the mentai egg drop udon (S$11.90) is a creamy, slurp-worthy treat featuring udon noodles steeped in a decadent egg broth. 

As with the mentai cream-baked cheese udon, the noodles are crowned with Hakata’s signature mentaiko, which you’re meant to mix and enjoy. 

This way, you get an indulgent spoonful of the different elements and textures together — egg, buttery mentaiko and al dente noodles, all in one bite. 

If you’re travelling to the west this weekend, perhaps Hakata Mentai Yamaya Kitchen can be up on your list of new restaurants to visit. If anything, its limited-time, free-flow mentaiko promotion is worth the journey, especially if you’re a mentaiko lover.

This was an invited tasting.

For the latest eats, read about new back alley cafe Sloth & Messenger Coffee at Geylang, or famous Melbourne cafe Homm Dessert at Raffles City Shopping Centre. Alternatively, check out the newest openings in Singapore here. 

Enjoy up to 50% off when you dine with GrabFood Dine Out.

You can also book a ride to Hakata Mentai Yamaya Kitchen to try its mentaiko dishes.